Fall 2017 Courses

This three credit survey course focuses on the legal issues that pervade the conservation and regulation of public lands, wildlife, fisheries, and wetlands. These issues include, among others, competing claims of the "public interest" versus private property rights; the roles of administrative agenc...

This course provides an introduction to legal doctrines and policy questions relating to the structure and operation of the administrative state. The focus is on the law of the federal administrative state, with significant attention being devoted to issues of separation and balance of powers, judi...

A study of how government regulates citizens and business in Texas, including an analysis of the powers and procedures common to state agencies in Texas. Special focus is given to the power of agencies to regulate by the adoption of rules and the holding of due process hearings (including contested ...

Anything that happens on or near any body of navigable water is liable to call forth the admiralty jurisdiction of the federal courts and the application of the national maritime law. The practice of admiralty and maritime law is somewhat specialized--admiralty lawyers still like to call themselves ...

This course will introduce types of documents used in civil litigation and provide students with advanced legal-writing practice and critique. Students will draft and revise several litigation documents written by others, and will lead class discussions focused on preparing them for the legal profession.

This two-hour pass/fail course enables law students to advance their legal writing and persuasive skills in the context of criminal law. Students will draft and revise documents commonly used by the State in criminal prosecution including at trial, on direct appeal, and post-conviction. The class me...

This course focuses on analytical legal writing. Students will practice the skills of evaluating and critiquing written legal analysis and will receive intensive instructor feedback on their critiquing. Two credits, pass-fail. Enrollment is restricted to Teaching Quizmasters.

The course focuses on the structure and style of contracts and agreements with a focus on modern drafting conventions. Students will practice revising and drafting various kinds of transactional documents.

The course offers practical experience in drafting and reviewing contracts, corporate documents, and licenses, using a software startup company as a source of examples. We will begin from the initial engagement letter and work through the life cycle of the company through sale of the company. ...

Course Description Writing for Practice aka Yes, you can practice law in simple American English Among the major problems encountered by young lawyers as they enter practice is the transition from writing like a student to writing like a lawyer. This course is designed to make that transition easier...

Course Description Writing for Practice aka Yes, you can practice law in simple American English Among the major problems encountered by young lawyers as they enter practice is the transition from writing like a student to writing like a lawyer. This course is designed to make that transition easier...

This intensive course covers two broad legal-writing topics. Day one covers mechanics: the most common grammar, punctuation, word-usage, and stylistic mistakes law students and lawyers make and how to understand them, avoid them, and fix them. Key goals are to strengthen your writing credibility and...

Successful lawyers of all types are able to craft solutions to clients’ seemingly intractable problems. Sophisticated clients have already explored solutions with their in-house legal staff before bringing their case or problem to you. Finding solutions requires following a proven process which ca...

This class has a mandatory evening skills component (Monday or Wednesday evening). Students must register for both the lecture (376M) and either Monday or Wednesday evening skills portion (176N) of the class. Please note, the evening Skills portion of the class will not begin until week 5 or 6 of th...

This class has a mandatory evening skills component (Monday or Wednesday evening). Students must register for both the lecture (376M) and either Monday or Wednesday evening skills portion (176N) of the class. Please note, the evening Skills portion of the class will not begin until week 5 or 6 of th...

This class has a mandatory evening skills component (Monday or Wednesday evening). Students must register for both the lecture (376M) and either Monday or Wednesday evening skills portion (176N) of the class. Please note, the evening Skills portion of the class will not begin until week 5 or 6 of th...

This class has a mandatory evening skills component (Monday or Wednesday evening). Students must register for both the lecture (376M) and either Monday or Wednesday evening skills portion (176N) of the class. Please note, the evening Skills portion of the class will not begin until week 5 or 6 of th...

This class has a mandatory evening skills component (Monday or Wednesday evening). Students must register for both the lecture (376M) and either Monday or Wednesday evening skills portion (176N) of the class. Please note, the evening Skills portion of the class will not begin until week 5 or 6 of th...

This class has a mandatory evening skills component (Monday or Wednesday evening). Students must register for both the lecture (376M) and either Monday or Wednesday evening skills portion (176N) of the class. Please note, the evening Skills portion of the class will not begin until week 5 or 6 of th...

This class has a mandatory evening skills component (Monday or Wednesday evening). Students must register for both the lecture (376M) and either Monday or Wednesday evening skills portion (176N) of the class. Please note, the evening Skills portion of the class will not begin until week 5 or 6 of th...

This class has a mandatory evening skills component (Monday or Wednesday evening). Students must register for both the lecture (376M) and either Monday or Wednesday evening skills portion (176N) of the class. Please note, the evening Skills portion of the class will not begin until week 5 or 6 of th...

This class has a mandatory evening skills component (Monday or Wednesday evening). Students must register for both the lecture (376M) and either Monday or Wednesday evening skills portion (176N) of the class. Please note, the evening Skills portion of the class will not begin until week 5 or 6 of th...

This class has a mandatory evening skills component (Monday or Wednesday evening). Students must register for both the lecture (376M) and either Monday or Wednesday evening skills portion (176N) of the class. Please note, the evening Skills portion of the class will not begin until week 5 or 6 of th...

ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROFESSOR RAU Despite the emphasis on litigation in our curriculum, disputes in the United States are not settled in court: Of all the lawsuits that are filed here, less than 2% actually go through the full trial process. As a consequence, there are probably no "litiga...